


CAKE BAR

by gladheonsleeps



Series: Cake Bar [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies), X-Men (Movies)
Genre: 'Peter' Parker is Mary Jane Parker. she's trans., AU, Alternate Universe - Bar/Pub, Alternate Universe - No Powers, BAMF Darcy Lewis, Because of course he does, Because of course he is, Bucky owns a tattoo shop, Darcy owns a bar, Deaf Clint Barton, Explicit Language, F/F, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Its a Thing, Loki is a lawyer, M/M, Matt Murdoch is aro, Multi, Other, Polyamory, Polyamory Negotiations, Pre-Poly, Take Your Fandom to Work Day, baker!Darcy, cake bar, set in hells kitchen, wintertaserfrost
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-28
Updated: 2016-06-17
Packaged: 2018-05-29 15:43:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6382558
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gladheonsleeps/pseuds/gladheonsleeps
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Yeah, I know.” He paused to take another sip of coffee. “Seriously where do you get your beans from? This is incredible.”</p><p>She laughed. “It’s a special blend we’re going to use at the bar. We have a few regular teetotalers coming in and asking for coffee, thought I’d step it up. They deserve it, you know?”</p><p>Matt laughed. “Gay, trans, disabled, ex military and now teetotalers. You just can’t help it can you?” She shrugged. </p><p>“Why should I? Not everyone fits into a box. Some people want a slice of cake at ten pm with a cocktail; some people are gender fluid. Who am I to judge? And they all come to me. ‘S not like I have a sign up saying ‘All rejects and broken assholes come ye hither.’</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! So the latest ugliness against certain stellar members of our magical Darcyland community as well as some other things have made me a little sad so I decided to make an early move on my Take Your Fandom to Work Day with this fic that I actually started over Christmas. I was going to try to finish it before I posted but decided to throw it up today.
> 
> I am a baker of cakes when I'm not flat on my back with this stupid illness, and I like to think that if I owned a bar, this would be the kind of place it would be. 
> 
> So here is the beginning, I hope you like it as much as I do.

Darcy wiped down the stainless steel bench tops of the small bar she was currently running out of Hell’s Kitchen. It was an odd little place, known more for cake than for any locally brewed beer or small batch spirits like the bars further downtown. They had those, of course. She had a friend who made moonshine in Philly that was the shit. And, OK so the bar bitches could flair like nobody’s business but they only did it when they felt like it so customers just had to deal on a regular night. She sighed and cracked her back, high-fiving Steve as he entered and tied on a long apron. Thank god they had those things custom made because goddamn he was huge. Too big for the tiny kitchen really, but it wasn’t like she was sticking around. She was baking and prep. He could deal with the assholes ordering bar snacks and gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches all night.

Clint raised his eyebrows and whistled as she brought two heavy cake stands into the bar laden with baked and iced deliciousness. “Darce these look amazing, what flavours have we got today?” He said something similar every day but she felt proud of herself at his easy praise regardless.

“Gingerbread, Choc olive oil and Hell’s Cheesecake. Got two of each.”  She held the cheesecake aloft, a creamy mascarpone masterpiece with a graham cracker base that had a caramel top which was just this side of burnt. It was delicious and a bestseller.

“Holy shit you are amazing. Got any of that caramel for cocktail garnishes?” Sam asked as he prepped his station with lime, ginger and basil.

“Better fucking believe it. Just make sure it’s big enough or someone will choke and sue our tits off.” Both bar boys winced at the thought of the glass-like substance getting caught in the throat. Definitely something to avoid. Darcy made a mental note to make it into lollipops next time. Girls'd go wild for that cutesy shit.

“Gonna stay for a drink?” Clint asked as she took off her apron.

“Sure why not. Friday night, right?” Clint grinned and started fixing her a gin based something or other as she unlocked the doors. It was a crisp evening. It was just that side of summer where one started looking forward to the long nights rather than bracing for the unbearable humidity that crushes your soul later in the season. After a long afternoon in a baker’s kitchen she breathed in the cool air and let the breeze blow over her skin. Dressed as usual in a loose black muscle shirt that was once a t-shirt and high waisted black jeans she untied her fuchsia bandanna and let her hair free, tucking the sweaty cotton fabric in her back pocket. God, she was sticky.

She nodded in reply to a lazy salute from the babe having a smoke outside the new tattoo shop across the street. She wasn’t too sure but she thought he was the owner. Brown hair was cut like he lived in the early forties- in a solider leaving for the war way. His shoulders were wide and his eyes were bright and clear. He sure was slick, that’s for sure. Probably had all sorts of people trying to climb him like a tree while they got a butterfly tattooed on their foot. She bit her lip and folded back inside, not too keen on getting caught perving. She was just out of a messy break up and she wasn’t ready for what those blue eyes promised just yet -Though how on earth he was able to promise anything across a busy midtown street was anyone’s guess.

Clint slid her drink down the counter to where she climbed onto a stool and Steve dumped a plate with a giant toasted sandwich on it. “Not hungry Steeeve.” She mumbled as she guzzled her glass of gin. The blond Adonis frowned in his special way that made you feel like a naughty kid and pushed the plate in front of her.

“Darce you gotta get something down. Starving yourself is not going to bring Ian back.”

She huffed “I DO NOT want that cheating asshole back. Motherfucker stole all of my recipes and opened a cafe downtown? I’m not pining here. I AM worried about the _Bon Appitite_ spread he got using all of my hard work. Moron didn't even bother changing the names.”

“Then why aren’t you eating?”

Darcy growled and took a bite of her favourite, Jarlsberg and pickles with some good old American mustard. “’Snot what I pay you for Steve.” She said with her mouth full.

He smiled and raised his shoulders as he backed into the kitchen as Mary Jane rushed through the door “Sorry I’m late Darcy! Classes ran late.”

“All G darling, your study is priority. I ever learn you’re lyin’ though and heads will roll. You hear?”

“Totally.”

“Good. Now go help Steve prep.”

The red head nodded and skipped into the kitchen.

She took another bite and leveled her gaze at Sam, who was giving her one of his looks. She didn’t say anything though. Her boys were all ex-military and she had given each one a lot of leeway. She knew they were only trying to repay the favour by looking after her in return.

They had become a little family over the few years since she opened her little bar. Sure there’d been a few hiccups but there always was and her little piece of heaven had like, zero bar fights per week and there tended to be a super low incidences of drink spiking round here so she was winning. Boys might be gay as all hell but people forgot that that didn’t mean they weren’t scary motherfuckers when they needed to be, and it definitely didn’t stop the thirsty hetero females from coming in for after work drinks every night to watch their biceps move as they made cocktails either. Not that Darcy blamed them at all, those biceps were all very nice, and they always gave good tips for the privelage.

She sighed and swallowed the last of her sandwich with the rest of her gin. “What was that, Clint?”

He shrugged. “Just something I made up.”

“I like it, I’d never thought of orange blossom with rosemary would work so well.”

“Yeah it’s good huh? Post it?”

“Yeah totally babe. It’s good. Try another sloe and roses as well. Might be delish.”

Clint mixed it and slid it over before serving the customers that were trickling in. Darcy didn’t stay every night but she tended to stick around on the weekends just in case she needed to step up to the bar. She took a sip and nodded, crossing her eyebrows in a way that showed him he done good. Clint smiled and went on with his service.

....

Loki knew he was early for his date but he had gotten out of his meeting remarkably early and dearly wanted a drink. It was a pity the appointment was in Hell’s Kitchen, he didn’t often step out of Manhattan but some people were worth it and after the rather heated trial against this opponent last week, Loki was sure that this Matt Murdoch would _totally_ be worth it.

He slipped inside and was surprised to see a row of delectable looking cakes on stands at the corner of the bar. Positioning himself at a booth in the corner as the occupants left he gave the waitress a tight smile and wave and she wandered over with an eye roll. “Hey here’s a menu, order at the bar OK?”

He took the menu with a stiff nod and perused. A sandwich wouldn’t be out of the question. He hadn’t had lunch and it was pushing ten pm.

A little later Murdoch strolled in, heading for the bar and he must have been a regular because the one of the staff went up and spoke to him, giving him a kiss on each cheek. She was utterly luscious and Loki idly entertained the idea of both of them in his bed at once as he watched the interaction. The woman led him over to Loki’s booth, her fingers interlocked with the lawyers in a display of surprising casual intimacy. “Matthew, it’s good to see you out of the courtroom.”

The gorgeous man smiled crookedly under his dark glasses as he sat. “It’s less vicious this way I suppose.” 

Loki smiled and brushed the other man’s fingertips with his own. “Precisely so. Far less bloodshed. Tell me, have you ordered a drink?”

He nodded. “Yeah, Darcy‘s my neighbour, she knows all my favourites.”

Loki narrowed his eyes, filing the information away. “Is that the beauty you were just speaking to?”

Murdoch grinned in a manner that prepared Loki not to believe a word that he said next. “Is she beautiful? I didn’t know. She does always smell good though. But yes, she’s the owner here, and you should definitely try her cake. I’m not one for desserts but her stuff is unbelievable.”

Loki eyed the cake stands again as the gorgeous proprietor sidled over bearing drinks and cake. “Here you go sweetheart. My treat. I know you like the cheesecake." Her tone as she drawled the endearment was rather sarcastic and Matt bit his lip in amusement, distracting Loki so much that he missed the hand offered to him. “Oh. My apologies, Loki Odinson.”

Darcy’s smile was crooked and wide, displaying a sliver of a gap between her two front teeth making it highly endearing. She totally worked the whole ‘friendly neighborhood bar owner’ shtick flawlessly and Loki had to admit he was impresses despite himself. “Darcy Lewis. Baker and bar owner.”  She took a swig from the glass that wasn’t Matt’s. “How’d you two cuties meet?” She asked, sitting down as if she didn’t know they were on a date. Matt put an easy arm around her and shot Loki an apologetic look.

“We met in court, actually.” Loki said, brushing the back of Matt’s hand with a thumb to let him know it was alright, though admittedly he was a little disgruntled.

Darcy’s eyebrows climbed. “Opponents?”

Matt nodded. “Yeah, I beat his ass but apparently that does something for him.”

Loki blushed; glad for the moment the blind man couldn’t see him. “I guess it does.” He said, taking another sip of his wine.

Darcy snorted. “That’s uh-dorable. I bet all of your co-workers have no idea you two sharks are dating do they?” She suggested dryly and Loki added ‘healthy sense of humour’ to her growing list of admirable traits. They both chuckled and shook their heads. “You want a top up Odinson?

He nodded and she pushed the plate with some sort of spice cake towards him. “Tell me what you think.” Then she was wandering away, her hips swinging as she avoided bodies between them and the bar.

Shaking himself he used his fork to take a bite. It was a ginger cake apparently, and it was amazing. The perfect balance of flavours and reminded him of home. He groaned. “Tastes like a spekuloos.” He muttered and took another bite.

Matt smiled crookedly again. “That good huh?”

Loki chuckled again, embarrassed. “They say the best cooking reminds you of home.” he explained. 

Matt nodded with a proud smile. “Yeah, Darcy will do that to you. She’s got a real gift.”

Loki looked back to the bar where the proprietor was in conversation with another customer, smiled wide as she rolled her eyes. "That she does." He said. 

....

Darcy woke on Sunday with a pained groan. It was mid afternoon and the light through her window sharply hit her bed _just_ so. It was a terrible wake up call but she’d take it. Rolling out of her empty bed and heading for her kitchen she started boiling water for a pour over and sculled a tumbler of water with two aspirin. She cracked her neck and grimaced, remembering her dreams of the night before. They’d been rather filthy and involved that guy Matt was with on Friday night.... Loki. She shook her head as if to rid herself of the images as she weighed her beans and ground them. At least it wasn’t fucking Ian.

She sighed. Ian was an asshole but he’d known all of Darcy’s kinks and preferences. They’d argued a hell of a lot towards the end but the sex had always been amazing and Darcy was starting to feel the absence of it. She shook herself and slowly poured hot water over her filter in a practiced circular motion. It may be pretentious as hell but pour over coffee was a morning ritual that she was loathe to get rid of. And the coffee was always amazing. She sighed as she breathed in the aroma and let her shoulders relax. She had some cakes to bake the hell out of; she’d think about orgasms later.

She was broken out of her coffee trance when someone knocked at her door.

“Matt? What’s up?”

Her achingly-hot-but-totally-gay neighbour was leaning against her doorway holding some pastries. “Post hook-up gossip sesh?”

She huffed a laugh. “Sure. Just made coffee.”

“You always have the best coffee give it here.”

She laughed again and closed the door behind him. They’d both gotten a super cheap deal on their apartments when a massively bright TV screen was put on the building just outside. It lit up both of their apartments something chronic at night, which neither of them minded when they got so much space for so cheap. It wasn’t like it disturbed Matt and she was never really around her place at night.  She dealt.

He shuffled over to her table and she brought over some plates and mugs, thanking the stars that she’d made a shitload of coffee that morning. “Here’s your coffee asshole.”

He smiled brightly and took a sip, groaning. “Fuck yeah.”

“So. Give me the goss. Is his cock as big as I’m guessing?” Matt loved to brag about this shit. Darcy loved it just as much but she hadn't had too much to brag about recently.

Matt’s grin was sharp, but he shrugged. “Bigger, but I topped so...”

Darcy hid her face in her hands as she remembered the view from behind on the guy and groaned. “Fuck. Amazing?”

He laughed. “Why do you think I let him come back for more?” Bitch looked so smug.

Darcy gaped “ _Oh_ so- but you never invite dudes back, you’re like a one night only kind of guy!”

“Yeah, I know.” He paused to take another sip of coffee, his face scrunching up with the deliciousness. “Seriously where do you get your beans from? This is incredible.” He said, staring at his cup like it offended him. 

She laughed. “It’s a special blend we’re going to use at the bar. We have a few regular teetotalers coming in and asking for coffee, thought I’d step it up. They deserve it, you know?”

Matt laughed. “Gay, trans, disabled, ex military and now teetotalers. You just can’t help it can you?” She shrugged.

“Why should I? Not everyone fits into a box. Some people want a slice of cake at ten pm with a cocktail; some people are gender fluid. Who am I to judge? And they all come to me. ‘S not like I have a sign up saying ‘All rejects and broken assholes come ye hither.’

Matt laughed and they both settled, munching on Danishes from Betty’s bakery next door. They were wizards when it came to pastry and enriched bread. Darcy used to work for Betty before she inherited the bar and Steve still used their brioche for some of his sandwiches. Betty’s boyfriend Bruce had a wood fired bakery around the corner and Steve used his bread for the toasted sandwiches. Darcy had no idea when the two bakers actually saw each other but they were both absolutely amazing in the kitchen so she wasn’t complaining.

Darcy’s life wasn’t exactly all figured out these days but she sure as hell didn’t miss getting up at the ass crack of dawn to make cakes. Bar hours were just as antisocial but she preferred the schedule all the same.

She poked Matt. “So, fess up. What was he like in bed? What was it that made you want more?”

He leaned back in his seat, cradling his coffee cup. “I don’t know, he bottoms, but he’s not submissive _at all_. It wasn’t particularly rough, but all the same he was all lean muscle and soft skin and teeth and just. I don’t know. But it was awesome.”

Darcy smiled. “Think there might be something to it?”

Discomfort slipped into his expression before he hid it. “Nah. You know I’m aromatic Darcy. I don’t want-” She put her hands up o his shoulders in surrender and he sighed. “Doesn’t matter anyway. He got a... rather unpleasant phone call early this morning. Flew out to Sweden. He’s gone.”

“Oh.” That seemed... sudden.

“Yeah, family or something. It happens, right?”

Darcy thought of all the flights while her dad was in hospital. “Yeah it does. Hope it’s OK.”

“Yeah, me too.”

Darcy sighed comically to break up the mood. “You’re a regular heart-breaker.”

Matt snorted. “So does that mean you’re hiring a barista?”

“Why, you want a job?” He snorted again. “Nah, I already hired one. Name’s Logan. Totally macho. Seriously he makes the other boys look soft in comparison it’s amazing.”

“Another Ex military?”

Darcy took another sip if coffee. “Yeah, Steve served with him forever ago.”

“Steve Rogers is basically your human resources department isn’t he?”

Darcy smiled. “Basically, yeah. Hasn’t led me astray yet. This new guy seems like he has an attitude but so do I. I think we’ll be fine.”

Matt held up his mug. “To teetotalers and coffee.”

Darcy laughed and clinked her mug with his. “Teetotalers and coffee.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As far as I'm aware, recipes are one of the only things that you can't copy write. 
> 
> Also sloe gin. I am a fan. Especially in the summer time. 
> 
> Also I am aware and want to make you aware that aro peeps aren't always players, in both the TV show Matt Murdoch and in the comics is definitely portrayed as a player, so that is a thing. He likes sex and doesn't want to deal with a relationship, like at all... And also he's aro. Those two things aren't interchangeable and all aromatics are different, complex individuals (because they are normal humans). OK, good talk.


	2. Chapter 2

Loki was exhausted. He’d gotten about five hours of sleep combined in the last two days and the endorphins from that amazing sex with Matt were definitely wearing off by now.  His heathen of a brother had no qualms calling at eight AM on a Sunday morning and he’d ruined a perfectly blissful weekend.

His father was dying.

It was about time, the old man had enough spite and hatred to give ten men cancer. He had hesitated, when Thor called, almost didn’t get on the plane; but he hadn’t been there to say goodbye to his beloved mother when she had passed. He felt like perhaps he should see Odin one more time before that frightful disease took him away. For Thor if nothing else.

He had always had a tumultuous relationship with his brother. They had realised why when everything had come out a few years ago.

Thor met him at the airport, clapping him on the back heavily in his usual manner. Loki allowed the contact, and let the other man carry the conversation in the car that their father sent for them as he mentally prepped for seeing his adoptive father after five years.

...

Darcy was just wiping down the kitchen when the new guy rolled in for his shift. He was just on time. Clint let him in and she let the boys get acquainted while she brought out the cakes for the counter. She could feel his eyes on her as she added an extra layer of sprinkled rose petals and gold flakes to her apple tarte tatin. It was technically not a cake but those danishes yesterday made her want to make a tart, and what was the use being boss if you couldn’t do what you wanted at least some of the time? She raised her eyes in a killer glare before going back to her work. Clint gave him a serious warning about ball breaking and illegal tasers before heading back to the bar and starting his bar prep.

Darcy tapped the bar, and Logan waltzed over to sit. “So. James, is it?”

“Uh, I go by Logan, ma’am.” Darcy smiled wickedly at the title. She liked it.

“OK Logan. “For the most part you’ll be only just busy enough. I don’t expect rushes on the coffee. We’ll do some filters, but I’m thinking people will mostly be going for espresso. Because it’s summer I’d love to get some cold press going but I’m still working on bottles and the blend for that one. I’ll probably get my roaster to make that up anyway so you won’t have to worry about that. Any questions?”

He gave her a weighing look. “No syrups or ... frappachinos?”

Darcy snorted and led him to the counter. By the machine they had a flier printed which had a map to the closest Starbucks and a giant ‘FUCK OFF’ and an illustration of a coffee bean pulling the middle finger at the bottom. A large smile spread across Logan’s face. “Anything  else?”

Logan grinned and shook his head. “Uniform is black shirt, tidy-ish black jeans- no rips or tears though seams like this are totally OK.” She pointed to the bottoms of her jeans where they had been bluntly chopped off just above the ankle due to her diminutive height. “Enclosed shoes of course though I suppose you’ll wear boots like all the other boys.” He nodded with a grim smile at being predicted so well.

“Great. So we’ll get you an apron, and you can warm up the machine and set up your station. I’ll have a filtered black from grinder A when you’re ready.”

Logan nodded and she slipped back into the kitchen to grab him an apron. They were denim with red cross back straps and red piping on the pockets. She loved them. Monday night was always quieter but of course it was New York in the summertime. Clint put on Beyonce over the stereo and he and Sam started wiggling while they prepped. “You better turn that shit off when we open assholes.” She grumbled, but secretly loved seeing all these big motherfucking dudes dancing to Queen B. Even Steve was shaking his scarily narrow hips in the kitchen. Logan snorted but took it in his stride and Darcy nodded. Very good. She grabbed a chalk pen and wrote up a promo on the window for their new barista and locally roasted beans complete with cartoon coffee cups flipping the bird because she was totally an adult. When she strolled back in _Grown Woman_ was on and Steve dumped her sandwich at a booth table and then pulled her into a fast paced swing dance step. She easily kept up and the others clapped and whistled as they watched the two dance like pros. Sam was in a trance watching Steve and Darcy winked saucily at him just before Steve pulled her into a spin making him laugh.

Suddenly the music was cut off and Clint pointed towards the door with a whistle, saying in a stage whisper ‘Hey Darce it’s that Babe From Across The Street.”

Darcy turned to look and it was true. Leaning the doorway casually was The Babe From Across The Street. “Hey, Uh, you open?” he asked, bringing his right hand up to his hair to smooth down the back in a nervous gesture.

Darcy pulled away from Steve and pushed him towards the kitchen. She wandered over to the door and said “We open in about five minutes, but...” She saw the X’s on his hand between his thumb and forefinger and raised a brow. “Coffee’s up. I’m guessing that’s what you’re after?”

 The Babe From Across The Street blushed and put his hand in his pocket. “I don’t really call it straight edge anymore but- yeah. Is it OK if I grab some Joe?”

Yeah. Slick. It should have felt contrived but it didn’t somehow. She shrugged at the mysteries of male sexiness and put her hands up. “Hey this is a place of no judgement (unless you take syrup on your coffee). Let me introduce you to Logan. He’s your new best friend.” She motioned inside and Logan passed over a large polka dot mug with a blue rubber coated handle made special by Josephine at Recreation Center She took a sip and nodded. “Yeah, dude this is the shit. Way better than I can get it. You can totally stay.” She winked saucily. Logan snorted and looked at The Babe from across the Street expectantly.

“Uh, I’ll have that-“ He pointed to Darcy’s mug. “Take away? And can I order the Swiss and apple sandwich please?” he pulled out his wallet and Darcy waved it away pulling him over to her booth where she had ordering paperwork spread out.

“Next time, dude. Do you have staff? Want to set up a tab?”

The Babe From Across The Street nodded, sitting down. “That would be amazing. Our apprentice has to walk all the way to starbucks and it sucks for her.”

“Damn. Being a baker’s apprentice sucked balls, but I hear it’s nothing compared with tattooing.”

The Babe From Across The Street shrugged. “I suppose. Better than lifting bags of flour though.” Logan dropped off his coffee and he took off the top and blew. “Fuck, smells amazing. Thanks.”

“So, uh, what was your name?” Darcy asked, giving him a lopsided grin over her mug.

“Oh, uh- Buck-Barnes. Uh James Barnes.”

“Hey James Barnes, I’m Darcy Lewis, welcome to my little bar.”

“Yeah, I noticed it doesn’t have a sign. No name?”

“Yeah, I just wanted that neighbourhood vibe. It’s actually called ‘Cake Bar’ but...” She shrugged.

“Rad. And the cake?”

She shrugged again. “Just using what I’ve got, dude.”

He nodded. He pointed to her tattoos. “That’s nice work, who did it?” Darcy looked down at the various watercolour and beautifully worked fine outline tatts she had scattered on her arms.

“Oh, my friend Natasha. She’s a total badass. Like, she legit knows how to kill me a thousand ways. Terrifying.” She eyed the dog tags visible through his white v necked shirt and wondered aloud, “I do wonder why I know so many ex military folk.”

Barnes smiled crookedly and sipped his coffee. “I had wondered...” He motioned over his shoulder to the bar where Sam and Clint were serving up beers and aperitifs for the after work crew.

“Yeah, my boys are great.”  She pointed “Sam was para-rescue. Clint was a marine. Steve was Special Ops. Logan- I only just met Logan so I have no idea but he served with Stevie back in the day.”

Barnes eyed Sam and Steve as they kissed sweetly over the bar before Steve brought Barnes his sandwich. He raised his eyebrow and Darcy shrugged. “No ‘don’t ask don’t tell’ here bro. Here we’re all out and that’s all there is to it.”

Barnes shrugged. “Oh, same here, doll sorry, I didn’t mean anything by it. I mean- they’re _adorable_.” Darcy smiled and raised an eyebrow. Barnes nodded. “Bi.”

Darcy couldn’t help it, the relief made her smile even wider. “Well- pansexual really, but you know, who can tell these days?”

He huffed a laugh. “Yeah it get’s a bit hard when there’s so many beautiful people around.”

She sighed dramatically fanning her face with her hand and swooning. “I know, right?”

She swept her crumbs away and Bucky stood, replacing the lid on his coffee. “So... Tab? My apprentice will come and get some coffees soon probably.”

“Yeah, we’ve got you covered Mr Barnes. Uh...Do... good tattoos? I don’t know? Have a good night anyway.”

He laughed again. “You too Ms Lewis.”

She gave him a lazy salute and he left. Picking up her stark book Darcy moved over to her ‘desk’ a tiny part of the bar’s end with an old tiffany lamp for light that she worked at when the bar was open. Mary Jane wiped the booth down and it was quickly filled with punters. Darcy sighed and continued filling out the forms on her laptop from the lists she wrote up that afternoon. She hated the business end of things but Betty had run a tight ship and she was glad she’d learned from a gun.

Checking her emails she saw one from a JBarnes@jailbirdtattoos.com.

_Hi Darcy, I forgot to ask whether that Natasha was looking for a change of workplace?  Feel totally free to send her my way if so. We would love to have her here._

_Thanks for the coffee; the sandwich was amazing._

_See you soon,_

_JBB_

She raised an eyebrow and smiled. It was good to be ambitious, after all. She clicked reply.

_Barnes,_

_So she’s out of the country at the moment. She does that. When she comes back to town I’ll certainly let her know you’re interested._

_Be careful, what you wish for though. She’s a shark._

_DL_

“How’s that working for you?”

Darcy flicked her eyes upwards to see none other than Tony fucking Stark the smart technology and eco power giant leaning against the bar where she was seated. She closed her starkbook and cracked her neck. “Uh... good?” She said, a little nonplussed. What the fuck was Stark doing in Hell’s Kitchen? “I only really use it for ordering and stocktake so...”

“Oh come on, _nothing_ else?” he gave her a salacious smile.

“Email?” she said with a cheeky grin and winked “Porn’s on my _personal_ computer.”

He laughed and raised his glass. “Very responsible.”

“In a place like this? Someone’s gotta be.” She swiveled round and watched as Clint threw a bottle of liquor to Sam who caught it flawlessly before adding precise measurements to his drink. “Ugh. I suppose we were due for another flair night.”

Tony raised his eyebrows. “Not your idea?”

“Me? Nah man we’re sort of like that tattoo shop across the road. I just do the paperwork; give them a station each and these boys do what they want. They’re responsible for their own stations and not injuring anybody or themselves but... I mean...” She just waved at Sam and Clint who were getting acrobatic, entertaining an awed crowd, and Logan, who was skilfully ignoring the fuss and carefully making his own drinks. They could see into the kitchen from where they sat, and saw Steve working his kitchen like a pro, his tiny hips still swaying to the music.

Tony nodded and took a sip of his top shelf whiskey. She could smell the quality from where she sat. Wasn’t often they sold a glass of that shit. “Yeah, I get what you mean. I let my employees do their own thing as well. Get better work done that way.”

“Totally. And they respect the space too. I mean, I’m all for micromanaging but I’ve got my own shit to do. I just make sure they have what they need and they kill it, every night.”

“How long you been running the ship? Used to be a dive bar here when I came down last.”

“Yeah, I inherited it, actually. That was my uncle that you saw here before. Such an asshole.”

Stark snorted and she left it. Family was a shitty subject. Tony must have seen it in her eyes. “Yeah, kid. Family’s hell.”

“Damn straight.”

“Tony Stark.” The man held out his hand.

Darcy took it, giving him a firm shake. “Nice to meet you. Darcy Lewis.”

“Listen, I have networking nights and I love your style. Thursday night. Bring your main squeeze.”

Darcy’s face crumpled in confusion. “Uh- I –“She cleared her throat and Stark raised an eyebrow. “Thank you. I’ll do that.”

The man knocked back his drink, put the glass down and strolled out the door, leaving a bemused Darcy staring at the swinging door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the cups mentioned are real! they are made by Josephine Noel in Brooklyn. she makes some custom ones with a red handle for a shop in LA so I decided that she made custom ones with a blue handle for a local bar. You can find her [ here](http://www.recreationcentershop.com/shop/)
> 
> <http://www.recreationcentershop.com/shop/> 


	3. Chapter 3

The next evening when Barnes came over for his coffee and dinner Darcy bit her lip and went for it. “So... you know Tony Stark?”

Barnes snorted, “Yeah, I know of him.”

“He uh. Are you able to take Thursday night off?” He looked confused and she floundered for an explanation while he bit into his sandwich.  “So he comes in last night and bugs me while I’m working on a Starkpad- I mean we’ve all heard about his ego. So anyway the boys started getting energetic and we start talking about business and he basically demanded that I go to this business networking thing and told me to bring a plus one. I thought...as a fellow business owner? You might like to come with me?” She wrung her hands under the table while he tapped his fingers against his coffee cup.

“I’m pretty sure that’s a pretty thin night. I’ll see if I can reschedule the appointments I’ve got and – sure. Contacts, right?”

“Yeah, I mean, you hear about him mentoring people and stuff but- I never thought-”

“Hey, Darcy you’ve got an awesome thing going here. People love it. It was full on a fucking Monday last night.”

She blushed, biting her lip. “I suppose, I just don’t want to be caught short if it doesn’t last or something, you know?”

“Nah, you’ll be fine for a while yet I reckon. So, yeah, I’ll come with you to your fancy ass party.”

She grinned. “Thanks. I know we don’t know each other but the neighbourhood, right?”

“Yeah for sure. High tides and ships, right?” They both went back to eating their sandwiches. “This bread is amazing, where’s it from?”

“I know, right? Bruce. At the wood fired bread place a block over, right near my place. Amazing bread every day, he’s incredible.”

“Good to know.”

“Yeah man, this neighbourhood is amazing. Fuck Brooklyn.”

He huffed a laugh. “You know I’m from there?”

“Yeah, so is Steve, I don’t really mean it.” He laughed again and polished off his food as Clint approached their booth. “Hey kiddo, what’s up?”

Clint nodded to Barnes who got busy with his coffee. “Hey Darce, so, uh, Phil and I decided to move in together, so I’ve gotta move out from upstairs.”

“Sure, babe, do what you gotta do. We’ll find someone else easy. When do you wanna move?”

He scratched the back of his neck. “It’s all pretty sudden, but you know how he is, I don’t want him to back out, is it OK if I do it this week?”

Darcy waved him off. “I totally know how it is; though personally I don’t think he would back out, you’re a peach! That’s fine but here are some rules: No fucking boxes on the stairs when we’re open. No goddamn van, utility vehicle or truck outside my bar when we’re open, and no moving while we’re open. You good with that?”

“Easy. I’ll get the boys to help. The furniture and shit is yours so there won’t be too much to move.”

“And Clint. Am I going to find the walls full of fucking arrow holes?”

He pulled a face. “No way, I don’t shoot arrows in my goddamn house.”

“Clint, you fired a gun at an invader last time some idiot thought that was a good idea.”

“No bullet holes either, babe, I never miss!”

“Alright I believe you. You didn’t pay any bond so I’ve gotta be safe.”

“You’re fine. The place is neat and tidy I promise!”

“Good. Now go serve that customer, she’s been waiting at your station and ignoring Sam.”

He snorted and she flicked him away.

Barnes cleared his throat. “So, uh. How much?”

“How much what?”

“Per month- rent. I need a place.”

“Look, it’s nothing special.”

He shrugged. “Don’t really need anything too special, just need a kitchen and bathroom and a bed. I work almost the same hours you guys do so noise won’t be a problem, and it’s close to work.” She bit her lip.

She sighed, thinking. Clint had a pay docking arrangement; she’d need to sort out his pay check too. “I can do ... two and a half?”

He smiled. “Done.”

“James you haven’t seen it.”

He looked at his watch. “Can I see it now?”

She huffed. “I’ll just check with the current tenant.”

James nodded and finished his coffee while she went and checked with the ex marine.

...

Bucky rose as Darcy crossed her bar to speak to Clint. The guy was built, all of them were. It was a crazy town and he was glad a tiny lady like her had good cover -Though he had no doubt she could take care of herself when she needed to, girl looked like she was a firecracker all right. She motioned towards the door to the bathrooms. They entered a stairwell, ignoring the door that was labelled with the symbols for the toilets. Bucky was glad to see that there was a separate door into the stairwell from outside. The stairs were dusty and Darcy swore after she sneezed. Buck heard a few choice words he hadn’t heard since his time in the army- and he worked at a _tattoo shop_ for chrissakes.

He followed her up the stairs, trying not to stare at her perfect ass in those high waisted jeans that fit her just _so_. Fuck, was he in trouble. He’d been watching her every day since he opened up shop and had only just built up the nerve to talk to her. It had been a real long time since he’d seen anyone he wanted that much. She made short work of the front door, painted fluoro fuckin pink. He tried not to visibly wince at the shock of colour. Inside, thank God, the walls were a pristine white except for one wall which was floor to ceiling plywood cupboards. The place was pristinely tidy, the barman hadn’t been lying. It was a studio with wall to wall Spanish tiles on the floor, and a bedroom nook type deal tucked behind a screen of painstakingly restored factory windows, bed perfectly made thanks to Clint’s military background. He could relate. The kitchen was pretty decent, with steel benches and legit cook wear, perfectly functional, and not too complicated. He could definitely do worse than this, and at that price...

“I uh, I lived here until the middle of last year. Crammed in here with my ex, it was hell because we insisted on renovating while living here. The kitchen here before was... foul. So I fixed it. The water and electricity shouldn’t give you any trouble, air con works. Uh... oh, there’s also a laundry. She moved towards the wall of cupboards to display a tiny washing machine and dryer hidden away. “The balcony is tiny but it’s good for a garden, you know? Uh... yeah, and the furniture is all mine so...”

“It’s perfect. I’ll move in next week. Do you want a bond?”

“Just two month’s rent straight up? Don’t fuck me over; I have friends who are terrifying and they will tear you to shreds should that happen.”

Barnes smiled, putting his one hand up as he wasn’t using his prosthetic just now. “Threatening a handicapped person?”

Darcy didn't give him an inch. “Fuck no; I was talking about lawyers asshole.” She narrowed her eyes “Though I have _no doubt_ you can still take care of yourself better than most.” Bucky knew there was no getting anything passed this one.

He cocked his head and tried for a cocky grin, only a little tarnished after his time... abroad. “I’m pretty talented.”

She snorted. "Anyway we should probably get out of Clint’s place. Feel free to hang stuff, but yeah, same rules for you with moving, and no gunshot holes or anything else in the walls.”

He snorted again and headed into the stairwell and leant against the wall as she locked the door. “Rad. Let me know where to send the cash and when he’s out. I’ll move in whenever.”

Darcy smiled one of those megawatt smiles she had that lit the whole damn room. “Awesome. Nice doing business with you James.”

“Likewise. What time’s Thursday?”

“Be at the tower at 7pm. Meet you out the front?”

He supposed she didn’t want him to pick her up at hers- it wasn’t a date Barnes. “Yeah sure. I’ll see you then.” They shook and he went his merry way, satisfied that he wouldn’t have to sleep on his friend’s couch anymore. 

...

Loki sat across from his adopted father; long legs crossed one over the other and gave him an incredulous look. “Come again?”

Odin gave him a look and cleared his throat. "Thor does not wish to carry on my legacy and so I wish you to take the firm on. Wasn’t this what you wanted all these years?”

“I _never_ wanted second place. I wanted for you to be proud of me, not to do your chores for you.” He answered quietly, remembering all the painful years of striving to make his father proud. Gods knew how Thor had ever achieved the grades for his Law Degree, and yet _he_ had always been the golden son. Loki had striven and achieved top of his class, giving him excellent credentials when he had finally realised the truth of his family and left them and his homeland to make his own way.”I made my own life. I find myself quite happy in New York. I found I don’t need you.”

Odin looked pained. “Loki, son. I have cancer. I need to know my legacy will live on.”

“Your legacy of what? Lies father. You lied to me my entire life. You have _never_ stopped lying. You didn’t even tell me you were sick until you wanted something from me. You didn’t tell me about my beloved mother until after the funeral. I don’t even know why I came here now. What would you have me do?” He sighed at Odin’s expression of dismay and ran his long fingers through his hair. He was jet lagged and hungry and sorely needed sleep. “I suppose I can get your affairs in order but I’ll need Thor’s help and it _won’t_ be me at the helm. You have some strong contenders for partners and I will find the ones to carry your firm in the direction you would wish for it to go. Gods know Sif should have been made partner five years ago.” Odin sighed and looked away, clearly frustrated. “Father believe me. If you leave the firm to me it will be liquidated, and the assets split with Thor and his woman. God knows she needs the money. Grants aren’t just lying around for physicists with ideas like hers.”

Odin’s eyebrows rose. “You’ve read her theories?”

Loki gave him a withering look, out of patience for the snobbish old fool. “Of course I have you cretin, she’s a _genius_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if you were disappointed with the lack of story in Thrall! I've been really sick guys, trying to keep plot lines straight while in this kind of pain is really fucking hard. I'm trying to work shit out but it takes more brains than I got right now. 
> 
> Thank you all so much for tuning in to my little stories, it mean so, so much. <3


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> party on Tony

When Barnes strolled up to the unforgivably ugly tower that Stark had given his name to, Darcy was already leaning on a wall waiting. She smiled as he gave a small whistle. “Damn.” He said.

She smirked and drawled, “You’re lucky I like you Barnes, usually a guy who whistles at me gets a punch in the teeth.”

He couldn’t help his grin, this dame was _incredible_. “I’m lucky alright. You look amazing. That suit...I mean...” She was dressed in high waisted black cigarette pants and jacket tailored to her incredible curves with a cream coloured silk shirt and navy blue velvet block heels. She carried a leather envelope as a clutch and her makeup was perfectly natural. If Stark had invited her so that she would wear a tiny black dress and titillate his cronies he had been sorely mistaken. Barnes was really liking this girl. She had brains and a whole lot of moxie and then some.

She made a display of looking him over in the suit he’d had to buy for a wedding the year before. He hadn’t bothered with a tie and his shirt cuffs wer rolled up a little because he hated to have things on his neck or wrist. He’d also decided to wear his prosthetic tonight as some people got shifty around a missing limb but also because his friend had designed it and he wondered if Stark would have anything to day on the matter. Brains and money like Stark’s in the prosthetics industry would not go astray. Like Darcy, he’d heard about all of the unlikely projects that Tony had picked up over his career. In the main press he was a womaniser and party boy but everybody knew he was just as likely to feed the homeless or build someone an arm on a whim as proposition a beautiful woman or buy a new car. It just depended on who he’d met that day.

Darcy winked. “Your suit’s pretty slick too there Barnes. OK. Let’s get this bullshit over with.”

He laughed and they both headed through the doors and up in the lift to the room of the event. They both took a breath when they entered. People were wearing designer clothing everywhere. Men were sporting ‘ _timepieces’_ and the women wore diamonds and pearls casually as if it was all nothing. The food table looked like it cost more than his net worth alone. A waiter offered them champagne which he declined politely and he noticed Darcy did too. He smiled. He didn’t think she’d be one for the bubbly drink. As they drifted into the room Barnes looked forward to seeing another side of her, after all they had known one another for less than a week.

“There she is! Lewis come over here.” Tony Stark shouted from across the room. Barnes felt people’s eyes on them as she took his left hand and walked over. He squeezed her hand gently with his prosthetic own and she smiled. It still took a bit of concentration but it was getting easier.

“Mr Stark, good to see you again.” Darcy said politely with that gorgeous smile of hers. Girl sure knew how to work it.

“Darcy Lewis this is Maria Hill. She owns a chain of restaurants here in Manhattan. Darcy owns the bar I was telling you about. Has the best cake I have ever tasted.” The woman looked interested at the cake brag but only nodded and smiled tightly, not really interested in meeting them. Tony then looked at Barnes, his eyes sliding down to their joined hands, his eyes brightening at the shiny metal. “And who is the cyborg?”

Barnes raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything. Darcy dropped his hand and glared, flushed with rage. “Damn it Stark you should know better than to treat a veteran that way.” Her eyes were on fire and Bucky was a little worried she’d start a fight with the guy.

Before he could say anything Stark held out his hand. “Ah, you know I’m just a sucker for undiscovered technical talent and this? This is a beautiful piece of work. Who made it?”

Barnes cleared his throat awkwardly as Stark grabbed his arm and pushed up the sleeve as far as it would go. “My friend Dr Helen Cho She’s a total genius.”

Tony nodded, looking like he was itching to pull the arm apart. Perfect. “I believe it. She got much funding?”

Barnes shook his head. “She’s working out of Detroit at the moment, running a clinic out there so, not too much time for grant applications.”

Tony grimaced. But then looked back at Bucky’s arm, eyes gleaming again. “I don’t suppose so. Get her to contact me, will you? I’d love to chat to her. This is good but I’d love to see what we could do together.”

Barnes smiled. “I will sir, thank you.” He was pleased that it had been that easy, but then he’d heard that Stark liked shiny things and his prosthetic was certainly shiny.

Tony turned back to Darcy. “So you guys a thing or what?”

Darcy huffed a laugh at the man’s rudeness but told the truth. “No, James owns that tattoo shop across the road from us. We only met this week but he runs a tight ship, thought he’d enjoy tonight.”

“Ooooh, tattoos! You know it’s been years since I got any ink.”

“You’ve gotta stop sometime I suppose.” He replied with a smile.

“What do you specialise in?”

“Uh, Russian jailhouse tattoos.” Bucky said, trying not to wince at how much of a fake that made him sound. Only he wasn’t. He really _had_ learned...

The Restaurant owner frowned, taking in his neck tattoos and what was exposed of his right arm but Tony only smiled wider. “Where did you learn that?”

Barnes felt himself paling. “That’s classified.” _Damn it Buck. Where's you cool?_

Tony nodded and gave him a wink. “Damn. I’m sure _that’_ s an amazing story.” Barnes shrugged, wishing he’d change the subject.

At that moment a gorgeous and immaculately presented strawberry blond woman approached, giving Tony a peck on the cheek. “Tony; not getting into any trouble are you?”

“Naw, just making some new friends. We needed some fresh blood around here. Pepper Potts, this is James Barnes and Darcy Lewis. They are both small business owners in Hell’s Kitchen.” The Restaurant owner continued to look unimpressed but Miss Potts smiled widely.

“Oh! Lovely to meet you both.” She turned to Tony and pushed him in the direction of a few older looking gentlemen, not even explaining why. He obeyed, as Barnes would if it was him. Pepper was an intimidating woman. “Tell me about your business are you partners?”

“No Ma’am. I own a tattoo parlour and Ms Lewis owns a great bar across the street.”

Pepper smiled widely. “Oh! Tony came home raving about that place the other day! With the cake!”

Darcy blushed, looking unsure of herself for the first time than Bucky had ever seen. “That’s me. So he enjoyed himself?”

Pepper nodded. “He said he loved your set up. Relaxed where it mattered and tight where it mattered. Not pushing the cool factor or any other pretentious claims. I like that. ”

“That’s me. Precision is totally a thing, but comfort is totally important too. If you spend all your time at work it may as well feel like home, you know?”

Pepper smiled. “He told me you are a baker by trade?”

“Yeah, I mean I have masters in Political Science but these days yeah, I’m a baker.” Barnes smiled as Pepper nodded; the woman was clearly pleased to meet a capable, intelligent woman who wasn’t afraid of herself. Barnes saw Pepper eyeing something going on over his shoulder which made him antsy, and then there was a loud bang.

...

Darcy had been having a less awful night than she’d expected. She would have loved something other than champagne to drink but hadn’t been to the bar yet when had Tony obnoxiously called her over. She knew she looked good, and if she didn’t at the beginning of the night she would be certain due to the sly looks James had been stealing all evening. This made Darcy inordinanlty pleased.

She was talking to THE Pepper Potts, CEO of STARK Enterprises and managing not to make a fool of herself when there was a loud noise and she was abruptly shoved to the floor along with Pepper, a heavy body covering her. The CEO was able to extricate herself with no trouble but Darcy was stuck under a hyperventilating ex serviceman. She’d dealt with a few PTSD episodes in her time with the boys and so she softly but firmly talked at him about where he was until he came back to himself and helped her up, completely embarrassed. Carefully telegraphing her movements she kissed him on the temple and pulled his dog tags out of his shirt collar. Those elite businessmen and women who had been staring all seemed to settle down once they realised he was a veteran while James continued to apologise profusely to Ms Potts who waved it off. She really was an amazing woman and only seemed concerned for his welfare. Tony rushed over and fussed over Potts and Barnes backed away, arms up and rushed out of the room. Picking up her clutch Darcy shot an apologetic look to them both and followed him out.

When she found the empty elevator Darcy realised he had taken the stairs so she waited for him in the lobby when she got there, making use of those fancy couches that never seemed to get used in foyers like this. When Barnes exited the stairwell and saw her he went pale. “Did I hurt you? God, I’m so sorry.”

Darcy shook her head and shrugged. “Uh, I’ll have a few funny bruises tomorrow but it’s nothing. You OK?”

He growled in his throat but Darcy didn’t think it was at her. His mouth was stuck in a tight line and his eyes looked like he was a thousand miles away.

Darcy waved her hand through the air in an arc. “Hey, I have no idea where you were or what the fuck happened to you but the boys and Natasha? They’re all _still_ coming to grips with their time fighting the good fight; you’re doing OK.” He made another noise of derision but she pushed him in the chest. “No, you listen here. You are making a life for yourself and doing a damned good job of it. They, whoever the fuck _they_ are tried to take that from you but you are living and rebuilding and that is all we can fucking do, Barnes, but it is effective nonetheless. That is how you win, you just keep goddamn _living_. And if you’re doing _really_ well? Then you help others around you live to.

And there she went, reminding herself of her fucking family. Barnes seemed to take in what she was saying so that was something. She shrugged. “So _that_ party blows, wanna get a pizza?”

After a moment he smiled crookedly and nodded and she took his hand, his right one this time. They stepped out into the summer night and hailed a cab, getting the hell out of Manhattan.  

...

The day after the party Barnes received an expensive looking fruit basket. His receptionist, a plucky twenty year old with blue hair teased him but he only shrugged and bit into the best apple he’d ever tasted. Tony may be an asshole but his apologies weren’t too bad.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh hey there kittens! 
> 
> so... I've been sitting on this chapter for about a million months, trying to figure out how to make it into an actual narrative and not this weird timeline blurb thing... I have more written out and it's cute af but I could never quite link the two bits. 
> 
> ...as this is supposed to make me happy and not stressed, I'm just going to leave this here and make the stories a series, so you might want to subscribe to the series :) 
> 
> all that said, here is a little blurb on what happens over six months, in the next story our ot3 will start to come together. It's cute af I promise.

SIX MONTHS LATER. 

Loki was sitting in the airport on his way back from Stockholm via London. The process had been far easier than anyone had expected but he had still been away from the place he had long considered home for six whole months. Six months that he was never getting back. And did love Sweden, he did. It had been good to see the motherland again but his mother had not been there. That and the fact there truly was no place on Earth like New York City had him aching to come back.

He looked down at the copy of the New York Times he was reading and did a double take. There in Bill Cunningham’s weekly spread among the fashionable people of New York was a picture of that gorgeous bar owner he had met just before he left she was waking holding a cake box and wearing a blue coat jeans and some leopard print boots. Loki stared for a moment... What had he missed?

THREE MONTHS EARLIER ...

Darcy and Barnes were strolling along the street, coffees in hand. Between them they were lugging about a dozen good baguettes; a little awkward to carry, but the pay off would be pretty damn worth it when they were all shoving meatball subs in their mouths later that evening. She was turning 28 and all her friends had insisted she celebrate so here they were, working on the lowest of effort party possible. Barnes was getting more and more tense as they walked along to the point that Darcy stopped him. “What’s up, man? You look like you’re about to break out running.”

He opened his mouth to speak when a group of about eight people stepped in and started taking photos. Barnes pushed her into a restaurant and headed for the toilets. She felt pretty stupid standing there with his armload of bread as well as her own in the restaurant entrance way but Darcy asked the maitre de for a quiet table for two, put the bread down and then stomped outside, furious. The assholes started taking pictures again and Darcy furiously yelled “What the _fuck_ dudes? Why are you taking pictures of us?”

One of gathered paparazzi took pity on her and explained that they had been popping up on fashion blogs for weeks since Pepper Potts named them as some of her fashion icons. Their photos were selling pretty well to blogs and a few magazines worldwide by now. She gaped for a moment before telling him in no uncertain terms that going around photographing war veterans without their permission isn’t a good idea; and to spread the word. The guys nodded and, seeing as they’d already gotten a few good shots they left her to it, acting like they were doing her a favour; the assholes. She stalked into the restaurant, any good birthday vibes smashed, to find Barnes waiting at their table watching though the window.

He looked at her tiredly. “Gorgeous as you are when you’re angry, you don’t need to fight all my battles for me, doll.” He said with a small smile, the ever present crease between his eyebrows a beep ridge.

Darcy shrugged. “I don’t. I just fight the ones I can so you can handle the hard stuff.” And gave him a soft kiss on the cheek before turning to the menu, pretending not to notice him stiffen at the affectionate contact.

 

...AND EVEN EARLIER

“Fuck, Barnes, why do we keep coming to these things?” Darcy was leaning against the balcony of a ballroom packed with people. She’d poured herself into a dark red velvet dress tonight and Barnes could think of fifty five things off the top of his head that he’d rather be doing than attending this party. Most of them had to do with her and a bedroom. He shook himself and tuned back in to what Darcy was saying.  “...I mean it’s just that now I know he actually has feelings I feel bad if I even _think_ of skipping out. Having friends blows sometimes.” They were at yet another big party Tony was holding for his business associates and friends. They’d gotten a few looks and both had had to fend off more than a few unwelcome come ons over the night, forcing them to retreat to their current position with a bottle of wine that they had procured and some pastries. Darcy wasn’t wrong. Neither could quite pinpoint just how it was that Tony had grown so attached to them both but he had, and refusing him was like kicking a puppy- an over enthusiastic obnoxious and disobedient puppy- but nevertheless, it didn’t feel good. Plus Darcy liked the wine.

He laughed and nudged her with his elbow. “Oh I think there are some perks.”

Darcy raised her eyebrow. “Yeah, the free tattoos are pretty great.”

He laughed again. Truth was, the two of them had never quite gotten as far as the bedroom. Barnes wanted to he just... couldn’t. He looked over to where she was people watching though a gap in the balustrade. They have been friends for a while now, brought together through their businesses and, funnily enough, Tony.

And it had been good, in that sense. Both of their businesses had been booming, all but swept away with an influx of celebrities and tastemakers of their great city due to a comment or two made by their new friends they were the new hot flavour of the week. And then there were the avid followers of those tastemakers and celebrities, filling up Darcy’s bar. It pissed her off, more than anything, and Barnes knew 

Neither had let them effect them too much, knowing how these things went. They had adjusted to paparazzo and groupie alike, always coming together at the end of the day to joke about whatever it was that had happened.

And it wasn’t as if there was no attraction there, there was, but they just... the two or three times that they’d actually talked about it Darcy had said that the recipe wasn’t right’ Barnes didn’t know too much about cooking but he mused that she wasn’t wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> see you soon with the next installment xx

**Author's Note:**

> As far as I'm aware, recipes are one of the only things that you can't copy write. 
> 
> Also sloe gin. I am a fan. Especially in the summer time. 
> 
> Also I am aware and want to make you aware that aro peeps aren't always players, in both the TV show Matt Murdoch and in the comics is definitely portrayed as a player, so that is a thing. He likes sex and doesn't want to deal with a relationship, like at all... And also he's aro. Those two things aren't interchangeable and all aromatics are different, complex individuals (because they are normal humans). OK, good talk.


End file.
